A Fulani elder who has lived in the Hurti community of Manguna District, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, for over three decades has revealed that the gunmen who killed 46 people during Sunday’s attack were members of his own tribe.
In a video shared Tuesday by journalist Masara Kim Usman, the elder—who has coexisted peacefully with the predominantly Christian community for 32 years—said the attackers spoke fluent Fulfulde and identified themselves through their language and behaviour.
He recounted that when the gunmen invaded the community, he confronted them and pleaded in Fulfulde, asking why they wanted to kill people he described as his “friends” and “family.”
But despite his appeals, the assailants warned him to step aside or be killed. They then pushed him away and launched a violent onslaught, killing 46 residents and burning several Christian homes.
According to him, the most heartbreaking part of the attack was that the perpetrators were his own tribesmen, who refused to spare the people he had lived among for decades.
Notably, no Muslim or Fulani resident was harmed during the assault.
Speaking to Daily Post, the elder said:
“I heard them speaking fluent Fulani language. They were discussing in the Fulani language. So I approached them and spoke to them in the same language. Women were trooping to my place and begging me to rescue them. If I had the power to rescue them, I would have done so.
I have been living with them for so many years and they have become my family. When they left, I went to the hills and watched the whole scenario.
Then they regrouped and started shooting. There was shooting all over the town. We all hid in one room while the shooting continued for a long time, killing plenty of people.”
